The Stone of Wishes
by Punk Rock Kitsune
Summary: Based on the 2003 anime. Mari Ford is tired of her current life. She's made fun of, and she can't get along with her mother. When Mari wishes for freedom, she's transported to the future! Will she ever get back home?
1. Mari

The Stone of Wishes

Summary: Based on the 2003 anime. Mari Ford is tired of her current life. She's made fun of, and she can't get along with her mother. When Mari wishes for freedom, she's transported to the future! Will she ever get back home?

I don't own Astro Boy. He's already owned by Tezuka Osamu…but I will happily buy Astro off. :D

Mari's P.O.V.

I ran into my house, my black hair flowing behind me. Tears took over my dark brown eyes as I ran into my room and slammed my door shut.

Why can't people at school leave me alone for once? I thought angrily.

Apparently, African-Americans can't wear black and like rock music. I've been called so many names; preppy Goth, headbanger, white girl, etc. It's stupid and racist, but for some reason, I can't take it anymore.

The students at my school are very stereotypical. There are so many stereotypical cliques around North Creek High School that it's scary. The student body doesn't approve of my style, and they hate me for being different. I have a decent amount of friends, and I'm happy with them. They really understand me.

I opened my anime notebook and flipped through my drawings. I came to a stop when I came to my Astro Boy section. I smiled and thought about the episodes. I'm like him, in a way. I'm not your average person, and I'm not like everyone else.

I continued on, stopping at the Ouran High School Host Club section. Haruhi Fujioka is different as well. The only difference between me and her is that she doesn't care about people's opinions of her.

I set my notebook down and took out my homework. Why does English honors and Algebra hate me?

I sighed and began working on it. The damned thing took me two hours to complete.

"Mari! Dinner!" my mom Denise called.

I came downstairs and ate with my mom. Since I'm an only child, my mom is very protective of me and won't let me do anything without her analyzing the activity and her consent. That's why I don't tell her about my problems at school. She will come running in school like a bull.

"How was school?" Denise asked.

"Same as yesterday." I replied, chewing my pork chop.

Denise sighed.

"Every day is the same for you, Mari. Don't you do anything exciting?" she asked.

"Not without you choking out all of the fun." I muttered, irritated.

Unfortunately, Denise heard my snide comment and had a hurt expression on her face.

"Now that's not fair!" she said. "I'm only trying to protect you."

"From what?" I snapped. "Dust? Air? My _friends_?"

"Mari! What is possessing you to deliver this outburst? I will demand respect from you, young lady!"

"That's the problem! You demand respect, but won't return it to me when I want to hang with my friends! I'm fifteen, mom! I'm not a child anymore!" I cried.

"Then quit acting like one! You're acting like your immature father!" Denise snapped back.

That pissed me off.

"Excuse me." I spat icily, getting up from the table and stormed to my room.

My mom and dad divorced when I was twelve. Mom said he never wanted a real marriage, he just wanted fun. A year after the divorce, dad ran off with his female assistant to another country. I've never heard from him since.

I flopped on my bed and started crying. Why can't my life be normal? Why can't I have a social life? Why can't I do something exciting? Hell, why can't I get a boyfriend?

I've had plenty of crushes so far my freshman year, but of course, they think I'm a freak.

"I wish I can go somewhere else," I whispered. "I hate it here. I want to go somewhere I can be free, and have a life for once."

I faced the ceiling as I tried to fall asleep. All I could think about was getting out of here.

_Life as a runaway would be rad! At least then I could make my own decisions without someone constantly on my back._ I thought.

I unknowingly fell asleep, dreaming about being on my own.

The Next Day…

It was Saturday at last. I felt sunlight heating my skin.

What the?...my blinds on my windows are closed. I thought groggily.

I sat up and didn't feel a bed beneath me. Freaked out of my mind, I opened my eyes and saw that I was outside.

I looked around, panicking. I began to hyperventilate, scared. Everything around me was…_animated_. I made the mistake at looking down at myself.

I was animated as well, wearing a black and red tank top, black denim shorts, and red Converse. I had bangs and the rest of my hair was in a side ponytail.

I fainted from shock, not knowing what the hell was going on.

***sarcastic cheerleader voice* OMG you guys! Where is Mari? **

**Anyways, I'll hopefully be updating soon. This week, there was so much snow and ice that I only had to go to school on Monday. I'm out Friday too! Thank you, ice storm!**


	2. Realizations

**Chapter 2 Realizations**

I was surrounded in darkness. I don't know how long I've been in this state, but I found it peaceful. I began to hear voices.

"What happened to this girl?" a voice asked.

"I dunno, Dr. Elefun. I heard her scream miles away. It was loud enough to break windows. Anyways, I flew over to the grassy field to see her knocked out." a medium-pitched male voice replied.

"That's indeed strange. Astro, do you think this is a trick from Skunk or something?" Dr. Elefun asked.

"Probably not. It's just a girl." Astro replied.

_Wait a minute…! _I thought. _Dr. Elefun… _Astro_! This can't be…_

"Look big brother, she's coming to!" a girl voice cried.

"Shhh! Zoran! You'll startle her!" Astro warned.

I slowly opened my eyes. My fears were confirmed. I screamed in terror and fell off of the bed I was laying on. Astro and Zoran covered their robotic ears, my scream frying their hearing circuits.

"T-this can't be happening! You aren't real! _I'm_ not real!" I cried, looking down at my animated African-American body.

"Is she delusional, Astro?" Zoran asked.

"I'll show you delusional, brat!" I threatened, standing up.

I then realized I was only a couple of inches taller than Astro. I _shrunk_.

"What happened to my height?" I wailed.

"Big brother, why did you bring a weird girl home? You should have gotten Brianna." Zoran said.

"B-Brianna? How did you find out about her!" Astro cried.

"You were moaning her name in your sleep. So I took a little peek at your memories and saw your…ahem…obsession." Zoran smirked.

"Why you-!" Astro shouted.

"Astro, calm down." Dr. Elefun ordered, holding him back with great difficulty.

I took this chance to escape from the room. I realized that this was Astro's house. I found the door and walked away from the house.

"Hey, where did that delusional girl go?" Zoran asked.

"I HEARD THAT!" I shouted from two blocks away.

I then freaked out. How the hell did I hear her!

"I'll get her." Astro sighed.

He flew out the door and caught up with me in a matter of seconds.

"You're obviously not from here, so come on back with me before you end up passing out again." Astro said calmly.

"I can't! I don't belong here." I replied, still shocked that I'm in the world of Astro Boy.

"Come on." Astro repeated, dragging me by hand.

It was no use struggling. If he could carry a 200 ton robot, there was no way a girl two inches taller than him could escape.

"So, who are you?" Dr. Elefun asked when I had calmed down.

"I'm Mari Ford." I replied.

"Astro told me you said you didn't belong here in Metro City, Ms. Ford. Where exactly are you from?" Dr. Elefun asked.

"The United States. It's 2011 right now." I replied.

Astro, Dr. Elefun, and Zoran looked at each other in shock.

"What?" I asked.

"Ms. Ford, you are in the year 2031." Dr. Elefun replied.

"WHAT!" I shouted, my voice rattling the windows.

"Owwwww!" Astro groaned, rubbing his ears.

"Do you remember anything before you ended up here?" Dr. Elefun asked, cringing from my shout.

"I was at home, and I had a fight with my mother. After the fight, I wished to go somewhere far away so I could have freedom. And now… I'm here." I explained.

Dr. Elefun's brow furrowed.

"Hmm…just as I suspected. The Stone of Wishes heard your call."

"The what?" I asked lamely.

"The Stone of Wishes," Dr. Elefun repeated. "It's a powerful stone made up of all of the birthstones; garnet, amethyst, bloodstone, diamond, emerald, pearl, ruby, peridot, sapphire, opal, topaz, and turquoise. When someone makes a powerful wish that brings good nor evil, no matter how far away in time, it grants it. In order to reverse the wish, you must find the stone. It's not that easy. Legend has it that the stone only appears on the harvest moon, and the victim must have a clean, pure heart, and longing.

"Even then, it can fall into the wrong hands. When someone evil longs for the stone, it can appear to them."

"Soooo…why are you telling me this?" I asked, bored.

Astro glared at me while Zoran was rolling on the floor laughing. Dr. Elefun cleared his throat.

"Don't you want to go back home?" he asked.

"To my uncool mother and obnoxious student body? No way in hell. I'm free, so I'm going to enjoy it." I smirked, plopping down on a nearby couch.

"I like Mari, big brother! She's funny!" Zoran gushed.

'"Believe it, kid." I replied.

"There's no need for language." Astro muttered.

"It's called freedom of speech. It's in the Bill of Rights…I think. Whatever, I still have that freedom." I replied.

"Sometimes humans make me so mad!" Astro cried, storming out of the room.

"Are you human?" Zoran asked.

"Of course I am." I replied.

"I dunno, Mari. You could hear me two blocks away from here. No ordinary human can do that." Zoran pointed out.

_Oh my god!_ I thought as I felt my arms and head. _Did I get transformed into a robot when _ _I was sent here!_

"You can't tell by just doing that," Dr. Elefun chuckled. "You'll have to get a scan."

"Which means you'll have to strip!" Zoran added, prancing around.

"W-what! Why?" I cried.

"You can't see your deep insides well in clothing, so just like normal robots, you have to get undressed." Dr. Elefun explained.

"I thought this was a kid's anime, not a porn show!" I cried, falling to my knees.

"What is she talking about?" Zoran whispered to Dr. Elefun.

"I have no idea." He replied, confused as well.

"If it makes you more comfortable, I'll have Zoran do the scan. She's been trained by Astro and is a pro at it. " Dr. Elefun suggested.

"Well….ok." I consented, sighing.

This was going to be humiliating.

"Right this way!" Zoran said happily as she led me to the scanning room.

"Now, take off your clothes and lay on the scanning bed with your face upwards." Zoran instructed, turning away so I can strip in peace.

"O-ok." I replied shakily, taking off my animated clothes reluctantly.

I did as I was told and laid on the bed.

"I'm now conducting the scan. This'll only take about two minutes. Stay still." Zoran told me, starting the scan.

I laid still as a green ray scanned my body. Zoran was looking at the screen and was stumped at what she saw. Two minutes later, she said,

"Ok, you can get up now!"

"Oh, good." I said, standing up.

At that moment, Astro entered the room.

"Zoran, my energy's running kinda low, so I'm going to recharge-"

Astro stopped abruptly when he saw me in all of my glory. We just stood there staring at each other for a few seconds before I screamed.

"Get the hell out of here, pervert!" I cried, covering myself and making the mistake of throwing my bra at him.

"Ahhhhhhhhh!" he cried, throwing the lingerie down on the ground.

"Sorry!" he cried, running out of the room red-faced, steam coming out through is ears.

"Well…that was awkward." Zoran said, trying not to laugh.

"Quite the understatement." I muttered, finishing getting dressed.

Astro was in his room, his head in his hands and his face still burning.

_I'm feeling the same way I did when I saw Brianna…but this is different. This feeling is much more…sensual?_ Astro thought to himself.

"So, what did you find?" Dr. Elefun asked when Zoran and I returned from the lab.

"Astro going gaga over Mari's boobs." Zoran smirked.

"NO I DIDN'T! IT WAS AN ACCIDENT!" Astro shouted from his room.

"Uh…ok then." Dr. Elefun replied, confused.

"Well, Mari's obviously not a robot according to the results, but there's this spheroid of light where her heart is, causing her to hear so well. I found some other things too. If she wants, Mari can shoot out some sort of light beam through her hands, and can shoot out light lasers through her eyes. Using all of her power, Mari can flash light so bright it can stun the senses for a matter of seconds, even minutes." Zoran explained.

"Zoran, you found out all of that in a single scan?" I asked, astonished.

"Well, this _is_ 2031." Zoran replied.

"Then that means…" I began, "…we lived through 2012! Ha! The Mayans were wrong, and that movie can suck it!"

I paraded around the room, chanting random stuff.

"See what I mean? Delusional." Zoran whispered to Dr. Elefun.

"I can still hear you!" I shouted.

**There you have it! There will be more on the way! Another thing, I know his name was Dr. O'Shay in the 2003 anime, but I like Dr. Elefun better. It's easier to remember. XD Thanks for reading thus far!**


	3. Getting to Know You

**Chapter 3 Getting To Know You**

After about two hours, Astro had the courage to come out of his room. I was outside on the roof, excited about my freedom.

_Sure, I'll miss my friends and my drawings, but I _won't _miss my overprotective mother and the obnoxious student body. _I thought to myself.

"Where's Mari?" Astro asked Zoran.

"Why? Do you want her to strip?" Zoran smirked.

"NO, Zoran! Geez, I make one mistake and it's the joke of my life." Astro snapped, storming away.

Astro was unusually irritated today, and I think it's my fault.

Astro was storming by a window when he saw me on the roof. Sighing in relief, he opened the window and climbed out onto the roof. I could hear him coming towards me.

"Hey Astro." I greeted him.

Astro stopped cold in his steps, reluctant to continue forward.

"Dude, I'm not going to strip in front of you, if that's what you're scared of." I told him, secretly smirking.

"I'm _not_ scared, and I don't want you to do that anyway." Astro replied.

I said nothing else as he sat next to me.

"And I'm sorry about walking in on you. I honestly thought it was just Zoran in there." Astro explained.

"Don't lose sleep over it. It's fine." I replied.

"So…you really want to stay here?" Astro asked.

"Yes. Even though this is the future and way out of my mind, I like it here so far. Zoran is extremely hilarious, Dr. Elefun is nice, and you…are labeled as a peeping tom for now." I joked.

Astro groaned in exasperation as he put his head in his hands.

"I shouldn't have come out here." He muttered.

"Take a chill pill, I was kidding. I don't really have an opinion of you yet. I haven't gotten to see you in action like I did Zoran and Dr. Elefun. All you did today was get mad and humiliate people." I pointed out.

"Can you please stop bringing that up? I'm trying hard to erase that from my brain, but it's impossible now." Astro groaned.

"So, let's get to know each other." I suggested, smiling at him.

Astro smiled back, a bit flustered.

"So, what's it like being a young kid? I miss those days." I asked.

Astro gave me a surprising look.

"Young kid?" he repeated. "That was years ago. I was created to look like a little boy, Tobio, and replace him. I still may look like a kid, but I have the kokoro of a sixteen year old." Astro explained.

"Oh." I replied, stifling a giggle.

"You have no right to laugh. You look like an eight year old kid." Astro pointed out.

"No way! I'm fifteen." I told him.

Just to make sure, I crawled to the window and took a look at myself. Astro was right. My face held innocence, and my eyes were childlike. Do I look that childish in my time?

"Touché." I muttered, finding my way back to Astro.

"What is it like in your time?" Astro asked, curious.

I smirked at his question.

"Well, it's not as high-tech as Metro City, that's a given, but it's getting there. The cars aren't floating, but they're hybrids and eco-friendly. Also, people at my high school are building small robots for the science fair, so I know that by the time they catch up to this time, robots will be like you."

"Oh…" Astro trailed off. "Why did you come here?"

I went stiff, the memories coming back to me.

"I'm a social outcast." I whispered.

"Huh?" Astro asked.

"At my high school, I stepped out of the status quo. I love wearing dark colors, and I'm considered a rocker, which I'm not ashamed of, but because of my race, people of my own race find me strange.

"The cliques look down on me and call me awful names, just because I'm not in a stereotypical group. I'm sure they are prejudice. Also, my mother and I don't get along. I'm an only child, and she's overprotective. I can't hang out with my friends, because she thinks the activities are "dangerous", or "a bad influence on me". It's not fair, and I wanted to escape, so I'm here."

Astro was silent.

"I'm sorry about your situation, but I think what you're doing is wrong."

"Excuse me?" I said.

"Your mother loves you, which is why she's doing that, and those students are just mad because you were brave enough to step out of their little circle, and-"

"Stop it, Astro!" I snapped, cutting him off. "You don't understand my situation. You don't understand _me_. No one will."

"How can I understand you if you keep biting my head off?" Astro pointed out. "I'm trying to figure out why you let those things stop you."

"Astro," I said. "I don' have superhuman strength in my time. I don't have bravery. I can't do anything except hope and dream. And now that my hopes are reality, you're saying it's wrong. Typical of a robot without real emotions."

Astro stiffened, upset at me.

"You don't understand kokoro, do you?" he asked.

I shrugged, not really caring at this point.

"Kokoro are human emotions. That's why I feel sadness and anger for your troubles, yet I feel compassion for those who upset you. They shouldn't control your thinking. That's all I'm saying." Astro replied.

I was silent, letting all of that sink in. He had a very good point.

"You're right, Astro. I'm sorry for my rudeness. Now, how about we talk about happy stuff?" I suggested.

"Sounds good to me." Astro replied, smiling.

"Have you done any heroic deeds since the robots were declared as equals?" I asked.

I was curious to see what else Astro did after the anime series ended.

"Wait, how did you know about that? You're in 2011 right now." Astro said, surprised.

Not wanting to get into details about him being on a TV show, I replied with,

"I know, but there are many things I know about you…ahem, Brianna, ahem." I coughed.

Astro's face turned red.

"Have you seen her lately?" I asked.

Astro shook his head.

"No. I haven't seen her since she went on the Falcon 2 as a cadet. I really missed her. She had such amazing dreams, and she was always alone because others made fun of her plans. I helped a guy named Anton to tell her how he feels, but through the letter I wrote with his name…I felt like it was me telling her. I didn't know what was wrong with me.

"I had this nervous feeling in my chest, and I was freaking out. There weren't any malfunctioning circuits anywhere."

I smiled, remembering that episode. He truly had no idea what he was feeling.

"Astro, I'm beginning to think that you are in love with Brianna." I said.

Astro's face was flushed with red.

"L-love? No way. I'm a robot, she's a human. An older human, I should say. She's like 21 or 22 now." Astro pointed out.

"Who cares if you're a robot? You have kokoro, remember? You have those feelings in you." I reminded him.

Astro sighed.

"I know, I know. I'm considered a kid, though."

"Forget about that for a bit. How about we go to the space academy and see if she's there." I suggested.

"Why?" Astro asked.

"So you can visit her, duh! I think you need to see her, that's all. Besides, she knows you have feelings for her."

"WHAT! How do you know?" Astro cried.

"I'm awesome like that." I replied, playfully winking at him.

"Alright, let's do that. Let's rock it!" Astro cried.

Astro picked me up and started his jets. He flew off, carrying me bridal style. Let me tell you, I was scared to death. When watching the anime, I thought it would be exciting and fun, but he was going way too fast. He must be really excited to see Brianna again. I couldn't blame him.

When we landed at the space academy, nothing was different at all. It looked the same way it did in the episode.

"Here we are!" Astro cried, putting me down.

I spotted a tall girl with blond hair walking on the sidewalk to the space station near the Falcon 2.

"There she is!" I cried, pointing her out to Astro.

"You even know what she looks like, Mari? That's kinda scary." Astro told me.

"Cool your jets, Astro. I'm not a stalker or anything." I replied.

Astro grinned and shouted,

"Hey, Brianna!"

The blond haired girl stopped abruptly and turned our way. Her green eyes shone with happiness when she saw Astro.

"Astro! You're here! What a surprise!" Brianna cried as she walked towards us.

"Hey, Brianna. I really missed you, so I came over." Astro replied, that same nervous feeling coming back.

"Well, I'm glad you're here." Brianna smiled, bending down so they were eye to eye.

Astro went red and his eyes started to flash. Seeing this, I stepped in front of him so Brianna wouldn't see him like that.

"Hey, Brianna. I'm Mari, Astro new friend. I'm new here, and Astro's showing me around. He has told me a lot about you." I said, smiling.

"Are you a robot too?" Brianna asked, noticing my height.

I was tempted to seethe, but I held myself back.

"Nope, I'm a very short fifteen year old _human_." I replied.

Astro was finished freaking out, so he took back over the conversation.

"Where's Anton?" he asked casually.

Brianna's face saddened.

"Anton went on to a university in Metro City and is now getting his masters in computer science. He's not coming back here."

"I'm sorry Brianna." Astro said, sad as well.

"No need for that, Astro. I'm still here because I'm doing a major in astronomy. My trip in Falcon 2 in space was amazing, so in order to complete my plans that I made, I'm studying astronomy, and then moving on to technology." Brianna told Astro.

"That's great, Brianna. I know you can do i!" Astro assured Brianna, grinning.

"Thank you, Astro. That means a lot to me. Do you want to come with me to the cafeteria? I want to catch up with you, and I want to know more about your new friend Mari." Brianna suggested.

"Sure thing! Hey, Mari, do you want to-" Astro turned around to find that I was gone.

"Mari?" Astro called.

Astro looked down to see a small note I had written. He picked it up and read it.

_Astro_

_Good luck with Brianna. Take control of the conversation tell her how you feel._

_I believe in you! Go in there and kick ass!_

_Mari_

"Astro, what does that say?" Brianna asked, curious.

"Uhhh nothing!" Astro said quickly, burning the note with the fire from his left foot jet.

"Ok then. Is Mari coming?" Brianna asked.

"I think she wants to explore the space academy for a while." Astro said, smiling nervously.

"That's fine, maybe I'll see her later. Let's go." Brianna said, leading me away.

"Thanks, Mari." Astro whispered, knowing that I was hiding nearby.

I jumped out of a bush and grinned. I then went to truly explore the space academy.

_**Astro's P.O.V.**_

_**Brianna led me to the cafeteria and sat down with me. She took out her box lunch and started eating.**_

"_**So, where have you been all this time?" Brianna asked.**_

"_**At home. I've continued bonding with my sister Zoran, and nothing major has been happening." I replied.**_

"_**A sister, huh? That's nice. I'm an only child. I've always wanted a sister or a brother." Brianna told me.**_

"_**Brianna…" I began. "I have something to tell you that I've been wanting to say."**_

"_**What is it?" Brianna asked, curious about what I had to say.**_

"_**Well, I…"**_

_Mari's P.O.V._

It had been about an hour, so I was finding my way to the cafeteria.

_I wonder how it went._ I wondered.

I spotted Astro walking out of a building.

"Astro, over here!" I cried.

Astro walked over to me, dejected.

"Soooo how did it goooo?" I asked, excited to hear the results.

"Forget about it." Astro snapped, walking past me.

I wasn't letting him off that easily.

"Astro tell me what happened." I demanded, walking next to him.

"It's none of your business." Astro spat.

"It _is_ my business, because I was the one supporting you and I gave you the idea." I insisted.

"Brianna rejected me, alright? She said that being in a relationship with a kid robot was not right, and that even though she likes me a lot, I should find somebody my own age…and like me. That's the _last_ time I'm falling in love with a human." Astro said icily.

Astro walked on ahead of me. I saw him wiping his eyes. I can't believe that he's crying over Brianna. He must really love her. Few things make Astro cry. If he's crying over a broken heart, then that really is major kokoro.

**~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o**

Later that night, Dr. Elefun left for his home, and Zoran showed me where the guest bedroom is, complete with a bathroom with a shower. She also gave me an old red shirt and a pair of pajama pants to use for sleepwear. I thanked her and showered and got ready for bed.

I noticed that Astro was on the roof, the same place where I was earlier today. I opened the window and climbed out.

"Why aren't you in bed?" Astro asked me.

"I should be asking you that." I replied smartly.

"I'm a robot, and we can go days without sleep." Astro pointed out.

"But you're not just any robot, remember?" I giggled.

Astro looked away.

"I have so many disadvantages it's not even funny."

I gasped at Astro's words.

"Astro, don't let Brianna bring you down. Remember what you told me? I shouldn't let people control what I think about? Well, it's the same with you and Brianna."

Astro sighed, knowing I was right.

"Yeah, you're right. I just need to get over it." he replied,

I reached out and gave Astro a big hug. He gasped in surprise.

"Mari?" he said, surprised by my gesture.

"I've been through the same thing before. Trust me, it was not fun. But you're an optimistic person, and you get through everything. And this is making me miss home…"

"Do you mean…?" Astro said.

"Yes," I replied. "I want to go home to my friends…and my mom."

**There will be more to come! We start to get into The Stone of Wishes in the next chapter. Thanks for reading so far! If you have comments or criticism, leave a review!**


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